The Kooks reveal near split

The band told NME.COM that they nearly called it quits following the temporary departure of bassist Max Rafferty.

Frontman Luke Pritchard explained: “I don’t think any of us knew what planet we were on. No one knew what was going on. If Max had decided to leave or hadn’t come back we’d all have said, ‘Max hasn’t been there and that’s it, we want to go our separate ways’. Definitely.

“The thing with us is that we only play well when we play together and we only play well when we’re all happy and when it’s all the different personalities coming out.”

He added: “When Max first left (through illness) we all thought, ‘Right, we’ll stop it,’ that was the first thing we thought. But at the end of the day it makes you stronger. We’ve been through one of the hardest things that any band goes through, ever.”